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Every now and then, you'll hit a road bump. I'm not a baseball fan, but I recall hearing about Willie Stargell. He was one of the great baseball players for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he showed up all over local TV, so I was exposed to him in my youth. He hit a lot of home runs. He also struck out a lot. So, I leaner back then that, if you swing for the fence, you will miss a few, and that doesn't make you bad at trying. The las 3 Floyds beer wasn't good, so it's time to swing back with a good kolsch.
The yellow-gold beer gives me a white head that simmers to a complete covering that has some odd, fungus-like globules on top. The aroma is grains, yeast, and light flowers. It smells nice and almost effervescent. I sometimes forget what an uncommonly peaceful and pleasant style of beer a kolsch is.
First sip is good, if a bit... I dunno.. off? It's not sour. Hell, it's not even tart, but it has a certain something to it. Lemons, bread, and sweet corn are all here under flowers, but, I think it's the yeast. The yeast is intrusive. If it was Belgian yeast, I'd be celebrating it, but it just tastes off, somehow.
Tip-in is moderate carbonation with lemons and bread forward and the shaky yeast right on their heels. The middle is pretty nice - it's smooth, sweet with corn, brings relief to the flowers by mitigating it with citrus, and is kind of a good time. The yeast is too strong to be held back, and it reasserts its power for the finish as the other flavors die in their infancy and the musty yeast is alone for the trail off.
Bottom Line: There's gold in the center but a lot of mud around it.
1.75/5
